The Acer P1383W business projector provides good resolution and solid data image quality for boardroom and classroom alike.

The Acer P1383W ($575), a business projector equally at home in a conference room or classroom, is a solid performer available at a reasonable price. It offers good resolution, and its data and video image quality proved suitable for typical presentations in our testing.

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The projector has WXGA (1,280-by-800) native resolution, for a 16:10 widescreen aspect ratio, and a rated brightness of 3,100 lumens. At 3.7 by 12.4 by 8.8 inches (HWD), and 5.5 pounds, the P1383W is reasonably portable, and it comes with a soft carrying case.

The only controls are the on-off button and the focus and zoom rings; settings and functions are adjusted using the projector's remote. The P1383W is atypical in that the connection ports are on the left side instead of in back, and are tilted 90 degrees from their usual orientation, into a relatively compact, square arrangement. This doesn't affect their operation, and the port selection itself is fairly typical: monitor-out and two VGA-in, plus audio-in and audio-out; HDMI; S-Video; RS232; an RCA jack for composite video, plus audio-in; and a USB Type B for remote mouse control. In back, there is a slot for a Kensington lock.

Data Image Testing
The Acer P1383W was able to project a 60-inch (diagonal) image that filled our test screen from about seven feet away. The image stood up well to the introduction of a good amount of ambient light.

In our data image testing using the DisplayMate suite, the P1383W's image quality is suitable for typical business or classroom presentations. Some white or gray backgrounds showed a slight greenish tint. Colors, especially yellows and reds, tended to be a bit on the dull side. In our text tests, black-on-white text was blurred at the smallest size, and white-on-black text was blurred at the smallest size and a bit fuzzy at the next smallest.

Video and Audio
All single-chip DLP projectors are potentially subject to the rainbow effect, in which little, red-green-blue glints may appear, particularly around brighter areas against a dark background. With the P1383W, such rainbow glints were apparent in certain data images that tend to bring them out.

In video testing, the P1383W proved suitable for showing short video clips as part of a presentation. The rainbow effect in video images was typical of a DLP projector and would likely be distracting to people who are sensitive to it. Some scenes showed more noise than usual, and there was some loss of detail, particularly in brighter areas. I also saw posterization, a tendency for sudden shifts in color where they should be gradual.

Audio from the P1383W's single 2-watt speaker is on the soft side, suitable for use in a smaller classroom or conference room. Should you need louder sound, you could always connect powered external speakers to the projector.

The projector is 3D ready, compatible with DLP Link, as well as Nvidia 3D Vision systems, though you need 3D glasses and, in the case of Nvidia, a PC with a compatible Nvidia GeForce graphics card to avail yourself of the projector's 3D capability. The P1383W has good lamp life, up to 10,000 hours in ExtremeEco mode, 5,000 hours in Standard mode, and 6,000 hours in Eco mode.

The P1383W matches the Editors' Choice NEC NP-M311W's 3,100-lumen brightness. The NEC NP-M311W trumps the P1383W in both data-image quality (which is superb) and video (it's good enough for showing full-length movies), and has an exceptionally generous 1.7x zoom, allowing you great flexibility in where you place the projector. The P1383W is a bit lighter, and has a lower price tag. One thing it offers that the NEC NP-M311W lacks is 3D capability. Other good WXGA projectors, such as the 3,000-lumen BenQ MW663, are also 3D capable. The BenQ MW663 also has surprisingly good video quality for a DLP projector, and adds a port for a USB thumb drive. Overall, the Acer P1383W presents a solid, economical choice for businesses or schools looking for a data projector with good brightness and resolution.

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About the Author

As Analyst for printers, scanners, and projectors, Tony Hoffman tests and reviews these products and provides news coverage for these categories. Tony has worked at PC Magazine since 2004, first as a Staff Editor, then as Reviews Editor, and more recently as Managing Editor for the printers, scanners, and projectors team.
In addition to editing, T... See Full Bio

Acer P1383W

Acer P1383W

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